Buni On The Move

Buni On The Move

Having achieved stability in the ruling All Progressives Party, Chairman of the party’s National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Mai Mala Buni, is working very hard to ensure a rancour-free National Convention next month, writes Charles Ajunwa

The latest of the many failed gang ups against Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is that the Federal High Court sitting in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State struck out Suit No: FHC/ABJ/857/2021 brought before Odjebobo Desire Onayefeme and others, challenging the competence of the committee.

This is a pointer that the Yobe State-born politician, Buni, is on the move to February 26, walking in a martial manner with a regular measured tread, for the APC National Convention. Buni has the winning card because he has calmed the party that was once fraying nerves down and never proved something to any member of the party who has hurt him that he was angry. No. All he is doing isn’t with the thought of the traducers at heart but for the rejuvenation of the APC.

To be heroic is to courageously die for something that some persons never believed was possible to die for. No one ever believed that the APC would attain the height it is boasting of today with the millions of registered voters. Buni and members of his committee made that possible and over 40 million voters were registered. And by early February, the incoming chairmen of the party in the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would be inaugurated.

With that, Buni has shown that what the APC would be tomorrow has started with his ingenuity today, in stabilising the party that would flex muscle come 2023 with the opposition. His flagship is to build a party not on impunity but on integrity by holding democratic establishment that will never allow odiferous show of shame among members that is against the set constitutional and procedural steps.

The results that Buni’s committee has achieved so far for the party has put him on the map that he is not an option, but a choice the APC chose to land on after a long internal battle. Buni is something extraordinary who never excused himself from duty that would have raped the soul of the APC. He remained guided, putting every step astonishingly and has made it open to Nigerians that the convention has all the prerequisite political processes to observe.

The party structure is one area that political analysts have set their periscope on to see how Buni handles that. Given the many political calculations therein, Buni will never toy with the rules and regulations governing the party and also the electoral law in conducting the National Convention of the party.

It is evidence that Buni is ever ready for the convention and all the processes to follow have been gazetted. Someone, who would not like the name in paper, told this writer, saying, “It must be recalled that political processes that lead to a political party’s national convention are virtually fixed and conventional – over a fairly long consensual period of time – and the same for all political parties in the country.

“The party, under the CECPC administration has done a commendable job of meeting up with the prerequisites of party convention preparation, having conducted relatively very successful Ward, LGAs congresses, and States congresses, across the wards, LGAs, the 36 states and FCT.”

New developments have presented themselves in Buni because he has never lost hope in getting the APC to work again and, the APC has everything in Buni, who believes there is hope and as such he will never lose in getting the party on the right tread with the national convention.

“It is appropriate and in the interest of the party that we build on the successes of the CECPC handling of the party over the last months and the achievements that have ably redefined the operational pedestal of the party,” the source said.

Checks revealed that Buni has endeared the Nigerian electorates, more than ever before, to the APC, by making it formidable, with the efforts of the CECPC leadership. Today, the CECPC has said that the party can boast of peace with less internal skirmishes and court cases.

They said that Buni has fought hard in making the APC a-no-longer the mockery of the opposition, who now, are said to be the beehive of internal troubles and litigations. No man wins a prize that is not sure of himself. Buni was sure of himself and his capability in taking the APC to the next level.

He never wanted to win everything for the party, but he wanted to win stability in the party and this is where he is today. With stability in the APC, the party has gotten everything.

Buni was born a winner, a warrior, one who confronted the odds by surviving the most grisly battle in the APC as Nigerians could see today. He is a giant. No one can doubt his victory over smaller numbers over a wider population that he has shown light in the APC.

There is no longer any German Wall in the APC temporarily led by Buni, except the wall a minute number planted in the APC have built in their minds to cause disaffection in the party, which has been shredded with the positives that have become the achievements of the party under Buni.

All the differences in the APC have become a thing of the past with the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Reconciliation Committee constituted by Buni with the sole aim and objective to calm all the fraying nerves down in the ward, Local Government Council, State and National levels. This, Buni has done just for the purpose of peace, given the fact that he was born a natural leader, whose stronghold of leadership is to effect cohesion, tranquility and unity in any human setting.

From political calculations, it was gathered that while Buni is doing the acceptable in taking the APC to the next level with the convention set to go and guaranteeing a successful, rancour-free outing

An insider at the party’s headquarters in Abuja advised the party to consider what he described as the “necessary things” to consolidate on its laudable achievements so far.

“APC as the in-charge political organisation has in the past proven that it is only guided by its rule book and should do the same again in the coming national convention.

“Ensuring a speedy and successful conclusion of all ongoing reconciliation actions, and to a large extent, as much as it is possible, bring the party into the convention on a truly united front.

“The unity of the party is paramount, and the fact that there are pockets of disagreements means there are aggrieved members, groups and concerns; and to this end, the party cannot afford to downplay the reconciliation process and its outcome for a reason of a limited time or any other.

“This is one agenda the party cannot afford to play with and which it must take very seriously. Now, as the APC prepares for its convention, with a sign of seriousness and allegiance with the party’s constitutional procedures, it must set its house in order among several other necessities. The party is expected to identify and collate the list of its appropriate delegates to the national Convention.

“The list should contain both the elected delegates from the ward, LGAs and state congresses, and the party regular statutory delegates. It is very important that in collating the list of the party statutory delegates, members take note of all deceased persons who were formerly statutory delegates of the party. Members should remember that all past presidents on the platform of the party, all state governors, and all former and current members of the national Assembly who were and are still members of the party constitute the party statutory delegates,” the source noted.

The authorities given the task to conduct the convention might not operate efficiently if the list of delegates was not presented earlier enough for scrutiny before the D-day. It has become a challenge to all members, stalwarts, leaders and interest units and groups in the party to unite and fight a common goal in holding the party National convention which is to ultimately hold on the 26th February, 2022. .

On the issue of consensus candidates, the source said that “The constitution of the party as well as the Electoral Act prescribed the option of consensus candidate for political party in electing or selecting its national officers to the National Executive Committee (NEC). It is suggested that the party, having presented a united front, considered this pathway as a measure to strengthen the agreement among units and groups and as well reduce the possible stress and litigations that may arise from direct and indirect elections.”

Speaking on the controversial issue of zoning, the source said that “it is only appropriate in the interest of justice and recognition of fairness in inter-dealings with regional units within the party to adopt zoning as a measure to create the expected fairness. Party leaders and groups are therefore advised to tow the path of agreement as zoning is activated in the interest of the party to distribute the elective position in the party NWC. Winning and retaining our control of political power in Nigeria beyond 2023 would to a large extent depend on how well we are able to manage the coming national convention. And the most needed variable remains unity. On a united front, we will surmount all adversaries and challenges and come out of the convention stronger than ever, building on the successes of CECPC over the last years, and be better prepared and with confidence to deal another blow to the major opposition party come 2023.”

Analysts believe that with the steps so far taken by the Buni-led committee, the APC is ready to conduct its National Convention and that the party would be more united after the exercise.

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